JOPLIN, MO — Verizon Wireless has expanded the national rollout of its high-speed wireless network to Joplin, Mo., and areas along Interstate 44 and U.S. Highway 71. The enhanced services will improve the capabilities and speed of the Verizon Wireless network within Joplin and the tri-state region in southwest Missouri, southeast Kansas and northeast Oklahoma, including along the I-44 corridor in Missouri to just east of Sarcoxie where it connects to existing coverage in Springfield. Coverage also extends from Joplin to Afton, Okla., along Route 66 between Joplin and Miami, Okla., and along U.S. Highway 71 from just south of Lamar, Mo., to Goodman, Mo.

“Our high-speed wireless network gives our customers three key advantages in wireless communication – speed, mobility and security,” said Lou Sigillo, president – Kansas/Missouri region, Verizon Wireless. “With these advantages, business customers and mobile professionals can increase productivity and see bottom-line business benefits. In addition, our V CAST services, such as V CAST Music with Rhapsody, help keep customers entertained while on-the-go – on the same devices they carry with them every day.”

BroadbandAccess
The network expansion in Joplin and the tri-state region offers Verizon Wireless’ business customers a truly mobile office experience with BroadbandAccess, giving them access to their calendars, the Internet, e-mail and critical business information residing behind their companies’ firewalls. BroadbandAccess was developed with a range of users in mind, and it enables large enterprises, small- to medium-sized businesses and mobile professionals to conduct business anytime, anywhere in the BroadbandAccess coverage area via a secure, true high-speed data connection.

Customers in wireless broadband coverage areas can expect average download speeds of 600 kilobits per second (kbps) to 1.4 megabits per second and average upload speeds of 500-800 kbps. That means they can download a 1 Megabyte e-mail attachment – the equivalent of a small PowerPoint® presentation or a large PDF file – in about eight seconds and upload the same-sized file in less than 13 seconds. To help customers stay connected, BroadbandAccess seamlessly switches to the company’s NationalAccess service if they travel outside the BroadbandAccess coverage area.

BroadbandAccess is available for $39.99 monthly access for 50 MB of data usage or $59.99 monthly access for 5 GB of data usage with a new one- or two-year agreement.

V CAST Music with Rhapsody
The company’s wireless broadband network powers its V CAST Music with Rhapsody service, which combines Verizon Wireless’ world-class, over-the-air mobile music service with Rhapsody’s leading desktop solution. V CAST Music with Rhapsody, which costs $14.99 per month, delivers unlimited monthly access to music on up to three Rhapsody-compatible mobile phones and players, and online on multiple PCs and Web browsers. With V CAST Music with Rhapsody, customers who purchase music over-the-air can download the master copy of the songs or albums to their PCs free of digital rights management (DRM) software that restricts how and where music can be played.

V CAST
The company’s V CAST service gives customers the ability to play cutting-edge 3D games and stream video clips straight to their handsets. V CAST offers content updated daily so customers can watch dozens of on-demand videos, including breaking news, weather updates, sports highlights and the hottest entertainment clips. V CAST subscription plans are $15 a month, with the first month free.

Network Technology and Investment
Verizon Wireless’ broadband network is based on CDMA 1x Evolution-Data Optimized (EV-DO) Revision A (Rev. A) technology and provides customers in the area with speeds significantly faster than the company’s NationalAccess service.

The multi-million dollar expansion includes the installation of high-tech wireless hardware and software in wireless transmission sites throughout the region. It is part of an ongoing network investment by Verizon Wireless, which has invested more than $45 billion since it was formed – $5.5 billion on average every year – to increase the coverage and capacity of its national network and to add new services. Last year, the company invested more than $134 million in its Kansas/Missouri region’s network improvements.